Pompey welcome government report on fan ownership

An expert working group, to look at football supporter ownership and engagement, was set up by the Department of Culture Media and Sport 15 months ago.

And today, Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch MP, published its findings at a press conference at fellow fan-owned club AFC Wimbledon.

Ashley Brown, Blues director and chairman of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust (PST), was a member of the expert working group, and was able to share his own experiences to help shape the report’s findings.

Independent chair of the expert working group, Joanna Manning-Cooper, who is also a Pompey fan and community shareholder, said: ‘This is football’s report - compiled by football supporters and by the football authorities.

‘We were determined to produce a report with clear recommendations and negotiated agreements rather than another ‘wish list’ with no outcomes or solutions.

‘We believe this report offers positive benefits for the game. It will encourage supporter ownership where it is a credible and sensible solution for a football club and it will lead to new and improved levels of meaningful engagement and dialogue between clubs and fans, ensuring that the issues which matter to both can be addressed.’

The key recommendations of the report - which has been endorsed by the Football League, FA Premier League and National League - are as follows:

Requirement for administrators to meet with Supporter Trusts in club insolvency situations and credible Trusts given opportunity to bid for club

FA Premier League to contribute £1m to a ‘Fans’ Fund’ to support Trust bids to buy clubs

Supporters’ Direct and the Football Supporters Federation to develop a database of experts to support fans seeking to buy clubs on a pro bono basis

Football authorities to keep Owners and Directors’ Test under constant review

Government should look at Social Investment Tax Relief with regards to Supporters Trusts to see if this would provide a tax-efficient way for them to accrue funds

Government and the football authorities should consider if a Community Owned Sports Club model should be accepted as a legitimate operating model giving supporter owned clubs tax breaks

Any planned substantial changes to club colours or crests to be discussed with fans as part of the structured engagement

‘The football authorities now not only recognise the importance of closer engagement but also how fan ownership has a role to play in the future of the game,’ said Brown.

‘Some of the barriers we encountered have been removed and we hope to see more fan-owned clubs in the coming years.’

Pompey chief executive, Mark Catlin, added: ‘We welcome the findings of the expert group, published in this report.

‘Our experience shows that fan ownership – even at clubs like Pompey, which aspire to play in the upper echelons of the game – is no barrier to sustainability and success both on and off the field.

‘Any measures which can break down the barriers to achieving more fan involvement in the ownership of football clubs up and down the country are to be welcomed in our view, so this report is a huge step in the right direction.’